The Call of the Day

Jodi Hershey’s spiritual self-help book The Call of the Day envisions a dramatic shift in the world’s spiritual orientation and offers practical ways to be part of growing awareness.

The present is an unprecedented era, the book declares. Many people feel it, even if they can’t quite explain what’s shifting. This book identifies the change in the world as “moving from our familiar Third-Dimensional ego self into a Fourth Dimension, and eventually higher levels of awareness and consciousness.”

The book dives right in, contrasting the current dimension with the emerging dimension and tying in familiar concepts in New Age thinking. For example, it presents the seven chakras as a way to understand, experience, and embrace the changing world.

From its abstract beginnings, the book moves into more concrete and practical elements. Hershey offers her own story of living in stress and succumbing to chronic fatigue syndrome, then charts her journey toward living without fear. Her story is used to illustrate the practical work that follows, which involves honestly assessing what’s not working in a person’s life, determining the action needed for change, and assuming an attitude in “alignment with truth.” The book suggests practical steps that other people can take, including forming a spiritual book club, writing a gratitude list, or undergoing acupuncture and taking Chinese herbs. It’s unclear whether such actions could bring about the kind of revolutionary life change that the book calls for.

The book embraces a positive approach to change that includes grace, acceptance, forgiveness, and worthiness and that eschews alarmism. As intimidating as a shift in dimensions may sound, Hershey encourages welcoming the change and finding refreshment in a new way of being. This positivity keeps the book moving forward with an empathetic tone that shepherds the process.

Hershey paints an inclusive picture of a more open future, and it’s an interesting if hazy one. This beginning approach may satiate those who are feeling deep unease, but it risks leaving behind those who are not clear about which next steps are necessary for growing their consciousness.

The book draws from a variety of spiritual traditions, including Christianity and traditions more often connected with energy and meditative thinking. This wide-reaching approach is engaging, if it may not engender credibility for any one group. Its pace is brisk, and quite a lot is covered in its brief space. It may be hard for audiences to digest all of the information presented and to integrate it usefully into their lives. Additional resources or personal coaching will likely be needed.

The Call of the Day is self-help book propelled by a prophetic voice regarding a new spirituality.

Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The author of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the author will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.